The Bottom Line
Hilary Spurling has written not one, but two volumes of biography on Matisse, but even then when I finished the last page I wished there were more. It's written in such an accessible, easy-flowing style that I was completely drawn into Matisse's life and times, his painting and strivings as an artist.
A contemporary of Picasso, Matisse was long overshadowed by that master self-publicist and his paintings dismissed as decorative and superficial by most of the art establishment. Spurling's biography makes you realize why Matisse deserves a place in the spotlight of 20th century art he now holds.
Pros
- Written in an accessible, easy-to-understand way that never gets bogged down with boring detail.
- Don't need to know anything about Matisse or art to get into his life's story.
- Extensively researched among Matisse's correspondence, official archives, and records.
- Contains previously unknown information and corrects myths about Matisse.
- Winner of the 2006 Whitebread Book Awards
Cons
- Daunting to be faced by two volumes on one artist, but once you start reading you won't think so.
Description
- Two volumes: The Unknown Matisse covers the years from his birth to 1908; Matisse the Master covers 1909 to his death.
- Black-and-white period photos and reproductions of art scattered through the text. Color reproductions of some paintings.
- Available as paperback and hardback books, each about 500 pages. Comprehensive notes and index.
Guide Review - Matisse Biography by Hilary Spurling
Matisse's life story is worth reading for several reasons, starting with his devotion and passion for his art and his lifelong pursuit of it. As painters he can teach us a lot about pursuing an artistic vision, color and pattern, and the need to experiment, just to see what happens or where you might end up. And about how it's crucial to follow what you believe is the true path for your art, not that of critics or society.
Hilary Spurling's biography isn't short (1,000+ pages over two volumes) but it's fascinating reading. It takes you into Matisse's world and times, through his development as an adult and an artist, through his struggles with his art and the opposition from critics.
The level of detail and anecdote is astonishing, but never seems to get bogged down and boring. The descriptions of Matisse's paintings are informative and help you understand what he was trying to achieve, what he did achieve, and what motivated him. The many photos sprinkled through the text help you visualize the era.
Matisse was hugely influential on subsequent generations of painters, in areas such as Cubism and color. Reading his biography will give you a greater understanding of how styles and techniques develop in painting, and how life events impact on an artist. While "cheerful" is not the word you'd use to describe his life, it is what Matisse wanted from his art. His life's story reveals how he struggled to attain this.
(For a more detailed review of the first volume, read Art as Life in The New Yorker, which runs to five pages.)
